Hasm was plotting a series of "terrorist attacks" against public figures, buildings and houses of worship on the anniversary of the 25 January Revolution

Egyptian authorities foiled a plot orchestrated by fugitive leaders of the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey with the aid of accomplices in Egypt that was designed to destabalise the country on the ninth anniversary of the 25 January Revolution, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

The plan, unveiled by the National Security Apparatus, aimed at "undermining security and stability, stirring chaos in the country and damaging its economy" in tandem with the anniversary of the popular uprising, the ministry said in a statement.

The group was plotting a series of "terrorist attacks" by the militant Hasm group against important figures and buildings and places of worship on the anniversary of the revolution, and was providing the necessary funding to achieve that.

The ministry said they already carried out an attack in Qalioubiya that killed two policemen and a civilian in November.

They also attemped to use accounts on social media platforms to organise protests and provoke riots and chaos, and hired media committees to "spread lies and rumours to fuel public anger."

The ministry identified the names of seven orchestrators of the plot whom it said are now in Turkey. Four of them face jail terms over terrorism-related charges and the others are issued arrest warrants over similar accusations, it said.

Police arrested a number of those behind online campaigns aiming to stir riots and sabotage state buildings, and others working for media platforms belonging to the outlawed Brotherhood, which was designated a terrorist organisation in 2013.

Security forces arrested some members of the militant Hasm group, including the perpetrators of the November attack, the statement added. They were found in posession of automatic weapons, shotguns, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and explosive devices.